Printing Museum

Who knew that there was a printing museum close to Los Angeles? I visited the International Printing Museum at 315 W. Torrance Blvd in Carson at the end of March.

This museum holds a large number of vintage presses, including a replica of the Gutenberg press. Since I went to their annual Krazy Krafts Day for Kids, I got a whole lot more to see, including letterpress printing, papermaking, cartooning, origami, and bookbinding.

Although the front of museum looks small, the inside holds a huge warehouse. Here are a few highlights from my time:

Paper marbling:

Using inks, you got to create your own swirly paper.

Screen printing:

From a choice of several designs, I picked a T-shirt to imprint. Here I am wearing the chipmunk logo at a botanical garden:

Calligraphy:

Several artists were stationed at a long rectangular table and used their talent to provide personalized bookmarks and nameplates. (If you’re patient, you can watch the entire video of my customized bookmark.)

Toys:

I even spotted paper toys. These robots were constructed by just folding paper and sliding the pieces into place. And the head and limbs are all malleable!

Slugs:

In the era of typesetting, slugs were used to create lettering. I got my own personal one crafted at the museum. Here’s the machine and the final result.